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Importance of Ethics in Accounting

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Importance of Ethics in Accounting
Everest University

Importance of Ethics in Accounting
Accounting fraud is common but is not as trivial as the common cold; a typical organization loses annual revenues of nearly 5 percent to fraud. In addition, almost one-quarter of reported fraud is exceeding $1 million dollars. The accounting industry is constantly growing and changing. Consequently, difficult decisions have to be made every day. While accountants follow a simple code of conduct; nevertheless, due to the infamous scandal of Enron, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was constructed to reestablish confidence in the public marketplace.
The importance of ethics and integrity are highly significant to individuals in this profession. In fact, ethical behavior in accounting is described as “societies accepted standards of moral behavior that is behaviors as right rather than wrong” (Nickels, McHugh, & McHugh, 2013, p. 91). Therefore, accounting as a whole plays a significant role in society and business. At one time, society considered professional accountants to have the highest standard in ethical and moral conduct. While maintaining accurate and truthful statements is an essential part of financial reporting; therefore, as a society as a whole it is essential that a professional accountant fully understand the importance of ethical values. One unquestionably problematic misconception is that ethics consist of moral situations rather than integrity and honesty. Integrity is an essential element of ethical values and can be seen as being honest and truthful. In the functioning of any professional service, an accountant shall maintain objectivity and integrity so; society and businesses depend on receiving accurate information so smart business decisions can be made (ET SEC. 102, 2006). Accountants

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